


The air, the earth, the river

by Unicorn32442



Series: One-shots to help me sleep [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nightmares, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, and he gets one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:08:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25438963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unicorn32442/pseuds/Unicorn32442
Summary: Basically Nico has a Tartarus nightmare but don't worry cuz Will is there.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: One-shots to help me sleep [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669606
Comments: 1
Kudos: 98





	The air, the earth, the river

Nico didn’t know where he was when he woke up at first.

He opened his eyes and blinked but there was nothing but darkness, all around him. The dark used to make Nico feel hidden, comfortable, and safe. Now it just made him feel exposed, blind, and scared.

He was falling into the darkness, nothing around him to grab onto and no bottom in sight. His heart started racing.

Then he finally saw where he was falling. The heavy air felt sharp on his skin and his mouth went dry. By instinct, he gathered up shadows to catch him so that he wouldn’t be hurt when he finally hit the ground. Using his powers, however, was much more difficult than he was used too. For the first time, the shadows felt like they were fighting back. Like a different breed that didn’t want to be controlled. Like he was no longer in his home territory but in the enemies. Which was exactly where he was, Tartarus.

The sky was blood red, the earth breathed shakily, and the sound of the river crashing was deafening. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t act. He didn’t even reach for his sword.

Nico wanted to close his eyes but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to see this again but he also didn’t want to be caught off guard if something attacked. His heart was beating fast and his legs felt week.

He knew he needed to find the Phlegethon river but he couldn’t move. He stood shaking as the river crashed violently, as the earth breathed, and as the sky was blood red. He stood shaking until the first monster attacked. 

The dracaena had snuck up behind him, although he knew he should’ve heard them coming. He turned to slash his sword at her but she dodged. More monsters were coming now, surrounding him. Suddenly he was not the ghost king. He was not a powerful demigod with a deadly weapon. He was a small, scared boy that didn’t know how to survive alone yet. He was holding a sword up to thousands of razor-sharp claws and teeth. He was in a living, breathing hell where not even the gods could save him.

Nico tried to fight, but it was going nowhere and his panic was growing. He started to scream, his heart beating so fast that he wondered if he would die from lack of air before the monsters killed him. 

Everything went dark again, but the panic and pain were still there.

Until they weren’t.

There was a light, just in front of him. A voice calling his name. He took a step toward the light-

“Nico. Hey, hey, you’re okay, everything’s okay. Calm down, breathe. I’m here. We’re in your cabin, remember? Come on, deep breaths. Everything’s okay.” 

Nico took a moment to recognize the voice as Will, not a monster. Will was here to help him instead of hurting him. Will didn’t smell like death, he smelled like strawberries.

The sky was blue, the air was clear, and the only sound was Will’s voice.

“Are you back with me, Sunshine?” Will was sitting on Nico’s bed with an arm wrapped around him protectively. Will was holding him. Nico let him.

He nodded timidly, noticing the blankets thrown off the bed and the tears stained on his face.

“Good. You’re okay,” Nico snuggled into Will’s side, trying to control his breathing. Will continued, “It’s only 5:00 AM, but we don’t have to go back to sleep. I’ll stay with you for as long as you want.”

Just a few months ago, Nico was a small, scared boy that didn’t know how to survive alone yet. Today, he was safe, warm, and never had to be alone again. 

**Author's Note:**

> welp im a sucker for hurt/comfort
> 
> Solangelo is my favorite thing to write, honestly
> 
> Anyway, hope you liked it


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